At nine o'clock in the evening—
"I'm back."
Kasumigaoka Utaha opened the large door of the Yukima household, announcing her return.
"Welcome home," came Yukima Azuma's voice from the living room, where he sat with his head lowered, focused on something.
Kasumigaoka took her white slippers from the shoe rack, but just as she was about to slip them on, her gaze caught on a newly unboxed pair of cherry pink slippers in the corner.
"Sora Ginko came by today?" she asked, casting a glance toward the living room.
Yukima looked up. "No, why do you ask?"
Utaha lingered for a moment, eyes on the pink slippers. Then she stepped into her own and walked toward the living room—only to be met halfway by something soft rushing toward her feet.
"Wha—!?"
She let out a startled sound, quickly looking down. A small, snow-white creature clung to her leg, staring up at her with mismatched eyes that shimmered like gemstones.
In that instant, Kasumigaoka Utaha felt something in her heart soften.
"Oh, I forgot to tell you, senpai," Yukima said, scratching the back of his head. "I picked this little guy up on the way home. If I brought it to a rescue center, they probably would've… well, you know. So I had no choice but to take it in. Sorry for not asking first."
He put his hands together in an apologetic gesture.
Kasumigaoka lifted the kitten gently into her arms, stroking its soft fur. A faint smile spread across her lips.
"This time, I'll let it slide. You're forgiven, ex-boyfriend-kun. Does this little one have a name?"
"Shiratamaru."
"Hmm… Not bad."
As she playfully called "Shiratamaru," she tickled its chin with her fingers. In that moment, the pink slippers were completely forgotten.
Yukima let out a silent sigh of relief and returned his attention to his laptop.
After playing with the kitten for a while, Kasumigaoka joined him on the sofa, curiously leaning over to peek at his screen. Pages of notes and plot outlines filled the document.
"This is…?"
"The plan," Yukima said without looking up. "Since we're starting a game club, we might as well take it seriously and aim for perfection. Isn't that what you always say, senpai?"
"I'm not like some people who scribble two lines and expect the visuals and script to magically turn into a finished game."
Kasumigaoka blinked.
Wait a second—was he praising her or mocking her?
She narrowed her eyes. Clearly, that was a jab at her perfectionism.
He really knew how to hold a grudge.
Still… his serious expression as he typed, the meticulous effort—he was frustratingly captivating.
Eventually, he stopped typing and turned the laptop toward her.
"Take a look, senpai."
Naturally, she didn't refuse. She had been dying to see what kind of story Yukima Azuma could come up with.
On the first page, a title was typed in clean, bold font:
White Album
Fifteen minutes later, Kasumigaoka finished reading.
When she looked up, her gaze was unreadable—caught somewhere between awe and disbelief.
"Well? Not bad, right?" Yukima asked casually.
She opened her mouth, then closed it again.
Not bad?
This was on a completely different level.
As someone hailed as a genius in the world of light novels, she couldn't find a single thing worth changing. The pacing, the characters, the emotional beats—it was all flawlessly balanced.
All it needed now was a fleshed-out script and a few branching storylines.
And the plan itself? Already commercial-grade. Investors would be lining up for something like this.
More shockingly—
This man, someone who had never written a story before, produced this in just one day?
"Ex-boyfriend-kun," she said slowly, "have you ever considered giving up shogi and becoming a light novel author?"
Yukima let out a low chuckle.
"Well… depends on the situation."
His literary skill had recently leveled up to six—enough to debut professionally. And in his mind, countless stories from another world were just waiting to be told.
Becoming an author… didn't sound like such a bad alternative.
"Using a story of this caliber just to hurt someone… you're seriously petty," Kasumigaoka muttered, pushing the laptop back toward him.
"Well, someone did mess with things they shouldn't have."
Yukima smiled faintly.
At that, Kasumigaoka remembered something he'd said earlier in the kitchen. The corner of her lips curled upward.
"Do whatever you want."
And with that, she left to cuddle Shiratamaru.
Yukima closed the laptop and slipped it into his backpack, prepping for tomorrow's club activity.
The next morning.
"I… have something to say to you. Come with me."
Eriri, just returned from her leave, stopped Yukima Azuma in the hallway the moment he arrived.
Yukima blinked but followed her without hesitation.
Her golden twin tails bounced with every step as she led him to a secluded corner of the school building. Even though she was only wearing the standard uniform, her youthful energy was impossible to ignore.
The black stockings accentuated the elegant curve of her legs, and her pleated skirt gave off a dangerously charming contrast.
If not for the slightly underwhelming bust, her figure would be close to perfect.
While Yukima's mind wandered down questionable paths—
Eriri suddenly stopped.
Yukima nearly bumped into her, but stopped just in time, brushing against her arm.
In the past, even the lightest contact would've sent her blushing and running away.
But this time, she turned around—and grabbed his wrist.
That made Yukima freeze on the spot, stunned.